Cal football coach Jeff Tedford won't rush Jahvid Best's return

Injured star tailback Jahvid Best is still resting at his parents' home in Vallejo, and there's no timetable for his return to school or football, Cal coach Jeff Tedford said Tuesday.

Best suffered a severe concussion after landing hard on his back and head at the end of a 7-yard touchdown run against Oregon State on Saturday. Best was carted off the field and taken to Highland General Hospital for observation overnight.

Although Best officially has only been ruled out of this Saturday's game against No. 18 Arizona, it doesn't appear he's anywhere close to returning to the field. With only three games remaining, Best could miss the remainder of the season.

"He won't be around until he really feels that he's ready to come back to class and all that type of thing, so we're not going to rush him at all," Tedford said. "We haven't even discussed that and that's the furthest thing from our mind, is when he's going to come back and play football. The No. 1 concern is his health and his well-being. If he doesn't play again this year, so be it."

Tedford has been in consistent communication with Best through text messaging and says Best is "feeling a bit better" but is still bothered by a stiff back and a minor headache.

The Bears returned to the practice field Tuesday, acknowledging that moving on without Best isn't easy and eagerly hoping to see him soon.

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"He's one of those guys who has a little special aura around him," left tackle Mike Tepper said. "He's very humble, very quiet. When he walks into a room, he doesn't really need to say very much because everybody knows he's there. So when that's away, it's a little different. You notice his absence."

Shane Vereen, who has seen significant playing time the past two seasons as Best's backup, now assumes the role as primary tailback. Redshirt freshman Covaughn DeBoskie-Johnson should see more playing time spelling Vereen.

Cal's defensive front has struggled to get consistent pressure on quarterbacks for most of the season, and Saturday will face a team tied for first nationally in fewest sacks allowed. Arizona has yielded just four sacks. But the Bears say that's more a product of the Wildcats' scheme, which calls for short routes and quick passes. "It's not a lot of dropback passes. It's not a lot of downfield passes," Cal linebacker Eddie Young said. "They have a lot of quicks, a lot of screens. That's why people haven't been able to get to them. ... We have to tweak a couple of things and make sure we get where we are supposed to get."

Tedford said left guard Matt Summers-Gavin (shoulder), who has missed the past two games, could return Saturday. Tight end Anthony Miller (knee) and nose tackle Derrick Hill (stinger) remain day-to-day.